suspectus

Suspectus is a Latin adjective and the perfect passive participle of suspicor, suspicari, meaning having been suspected, suspected, or doubtful. In Latin, suspectus functions as an adjective and agrees with gender and number (suspectus, suspecta, suspectum) and is used to describe people, things, or statements that are under suspicion or considered questionable.

Etymology and form

The word derives from the verb suspicor, suspicari, suspicatus sum, which conveys the act of looking upon someone or something with suspicion. As a participle, suspectus conveys a completed state of suspicion and can appear in various Latin syntactic roles, including attributive adjectives and predicate modifiers.

Usage in Latin texts

In classical and medieval Latin, suspectus appears in legal, philosophical, medical, and rhetorical contexts to mark doubt, scrutiny, or inquiry. It may designate a person under investigation or an argument, claim, or source regarded as dubious. In legal codices and scholastic writings, phrases related to suspected persons or matters reflect processes of inquiry or judgment, though exact formulae vary by author and period.

English usage and translations

In modern English, suspectus is not a standard term and is rarely used outside of translations of Latin works. When encountered in translation, it is typically rendered as “suspected” or “suspected, under suspicion.” The English noun suspect shares an etymological root with suspectus, reflecting the same underlying concept of doubt or inquiry.

See also

Suspect (word); suspicere; suspects in legal language.